Visiting the Pitti Palace was a pretty firm reminder that I know what I like in art. I’d never heard of any of the 18th and 19th century Italian artists in the modern section of the gallery. But I found myself infinitely interested in, and regularly admiring, paintings by the same artists again and again, pretty much all of whom belonged to the Macchiaioli movement (similar to, but distinct from, the Impressionists). In the last fortnight I’ve appreciated and enjoyed vastly different art made across 2 millennia. But of the art that is in galleries, I always want to spend the most time with paintings like these.

In modern illustration I like so many different things, I feel pulled to create in so many different ways, and I think that’s good. Just like it’s good to learn what things I do and don’t like about Botticelli and Rafael and Gentileschi’s paintings. But I also think it’s good to know that there are particular movements, and individual painters within them, that I feel most drawn to overall, and that there’s some consistency within that.

This entry was posted by jbc on Monday, January 1st, 2018 at 6:03 pm and is filed under Tumblr.
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